Hidden Gems: Meet Lilan Le of SKEYE Optometry & Wellness Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lilan Le.

Hi Lilan , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been drawn to beauty, skincare, and wellness, and to the idea that taking care of yourself is something you return to consistently over time. Before anything else, I was creative at heart. I originally wanted to be a fashion designer and loved how style and self-expression can change how someone feels in this world.

As a first generation immigrant in the U.S., I grew up with a strong sense of responsibility to my family. My parents encouraged me to pursue a stable profession with the understanding that I could always fulfill my creative desires later. I chose economics and planned to graduate early so I could explore that side of myself.

Then life shifted quickly. Both of my parents were diagnosed with cancer around the same time. With the economy struggling, they asked me to choose a different path so that I could support the family if needed. I didn’t question it and changed everything.

Optometry became the unexpected bridge between all the worlds I cared about: healthcare, business, and beauty. I moved fast, taking classes across three different schools at the same time to complete all my prerequisites while maintaining strong grades. Within a year, I finished everything and still graduated on time. When I finally finished optometry school and my parents were healthy again, it felt like a huge sense of relief and clarity.

Over time, I realized that my real passion was always about creating value for others in a way that felt thoughtful and human. I became especially aware of how overlooked dry eye disease was and how disconnected eye care often felt from the rest of a person’s lifestyle. This eventually grew into SKEYE, a space built around integrating eye care, beauty, and wellness into one cohesive experience.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, and much of my journey has involved learning to trust myself while carrying a lot of responsibility.

Early on, I learned how to operate under pressure and uncertainty. Balancing an accelerated academic path while navigating family health challenges forced me to stay focused even when things felt emotionally heavy. As a first-generation immigrant, there was also a constant internal tension between honoring expectations and listening to what genuinely felt right for me.

Later, working in a startup environment with HEYWEAR introduced a different kind of challenge. I love collaborative, fast-moving spaces, they require you to wear many hats and learn quickly from people outside your immediate field. I spent time helping build systems that didn’t exist yet and thinking deeply about how technology, operations, and patient experience could work together.

When the startup shut down due to COVID, it was difficult, but it also gave me space to pause. I moved to Los Angeles and took the time to reflect on what kind of work and environment would actually make me happy long term. Looking back, most of the things I’ve worked on have been firsts in their space, which comes with uncertainty, trial and error, and constant problem solving. Those experiences taught me to trust my intuition more deeply and to build intentionally rather than quickly.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Today, my work centers around SKEYE a first of its kind experience led destination. It’s a space where optometry, aesthetics, and wellness are intentionally designed to exist together, allowing patients to care for their eyes, skin, and overall wellbeing in one place.

Being located within Hapa Kristin gave us the opportunity to create something truly unique, a beautiful approachable environment where Korean skincare, colored contacts, and eye care education live side by side. Through our collaboration with Le BAE, we expanded that experience to include medical aesthetics and wellness, making the care feel even more complete and connected.

On a daily level, my work is a mix of patient care, building systems, and refining the experience so it feels intuitive and welcoming. What motivates me most is creating something that feels true to who I am in a space that allows me to be creative, think outside the box, and bring value to others.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think the industry is moving toward more integrated, experience led, and preventative care. Patients are becoming more thoughtful and informed, and they want environments that feel intentional rather than transactional. In eye care especially, there’s growing awareness around dry eye, ocular surface health, and how vision connects to skin health, wellness, lifestyle, and aging.

Over the next 5–10 years, I see continued crossover between medical care, aesthetics, and wellness, supported by better technology and more personalized education. The practices that stand out will be the ones that feel collaborative, human, and well designed, where patients are guided rather than rushed. I think the future of care is less about volume and more about creating spaces that people actually want to return to because they feel seen, informed, and cared for.

Pricing:

• $175 Colored Contact Lens Exam
• $500 Dry Eye IPL or Radiofrequency
• $900 Radiofrequency Microneedling
• $600 Skin Tox
• $400 GLP-1 and Ocular Exam

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.skeyecares.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skeyecares
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skeyecares
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@skeyecares